Chair



Aug. 31, 1943. G. D. WOOD 2,328,243

CHAIR Filed April 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f 41 v l 8072 00 4 6 wwwAug. 31, 1943. G. D. WOOD 2,328,243

CHAIR Filed April 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 170 24 q 513 r \l i 72 uPatented m 1943 l n' 1 Glenn 1). Woo Elkhart, Ind., assign): to PostureResearch Corporation, Elkhart, 11111.,3, corpora- '1 application Apruzs,1941, Serial N6; 390,684

f comi or 155-164 This invention relates to improvements in chairs andit consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularlypointed out in the appended claims. v n v v v The chair with which thepresent invention is more especially concerned is one adapted for officeuse and includes a seat and aback rest,

the latter being capable of aback and forth, cushioned: swingingmovement with respect to the seat. As an example of a chair of thisgeneral type, reference is made tomy prior patent, No. 2,018,825, ofOctober 29,1935. n

"One of the objects oi' the present invention lsto pro'videin a chair oithis kind an improved construction wherein the cushioningmeans for thebackresti locatedin apositlon notonly substantially concealed from viewbut in a position so protected that the same cannot be read:-

ily reached by the occupant of thechaira A further object Duneinventionis to provide inachair of this kind, means whereby the-seat maybe adjusted forwardlyor rearwardly with respect to the back rest withoutdisturbing the adjustment of the'cushioning means for the back i l:Another object ofthe invention is mprbvme in a chair of this kind meanswhereby-the arm rest.

rests maybe adjusted forwardly and rearwardly with respect toboth theseat a'ndthe back-rest 30 ioningmeans for the back restor theadjustwithout disturbing the adjustment of the cush mentof the backrest.

Again, it is an object of the inventionto provide in a chair of thiskind, an improved spider arrangement and upon which the arm rests, the"seat and the back -rest, along with its cushioning means are mountedwith: the 'arm rests and the seat capable of a -backw'ard and'a forwardadjustment thereon in 'alslmple and easy inan- I nor.

n The above mentioned objects ofthe invention,

as well as others, together with th'e advantages thereof willmore fullyappear as the specification;

proceeds. I e .o lnthe'drawings; Y l Fig. 1 is a perspectivewiew oi'achair embQdY-' ing the preferred form of the invention. i I Fig; 2 is abottom view, on-an enlargedscale, of the seat of thechair showing thearrangement of the seatfand other parts oi! the chair upon a novelsupporting member or spider;

" Figl 3 is ayhorizontal sectional view-,"on' the scale of Fig. 2,throughapart of one side'of;

also on the scale ofFiQ. 2,"thro'ugh a part of the side of the chair: astaken on the line 4-4 i Fig, 5 is a transverse vertical sectional viewthrough a part of the chair as taken on the line 5-5 'of FigA. lReferring now in detail-to" that embodiment of the invention illustratedin the'drawings; l0

indicatesa conventional type of basefor an office chair and in which'thelower end portion of a pindle or post ll is engagedfor a rotative aswellas a vertically adjustable movement. The

' upper end portion of the spi ndle is fixed in the hub of afispiderindicated as a whole atflZ in Fig. 2 The spider also includes a pairofi'laterallyextending arms l3""and" a pair or forwardly I and laterallyextending arms M which are fined at their inner e'n ds to thehub. Theouterends of each set of arms l3 and I4 are connected to alplate member1 l5. Along theouter edge of each plate member is a pair 'ofdependingbosses I6 and I1, the purpose of which will appear later.

[8 indicates the seat of theflchair'as a whole which includes a bottomI9 of wood upon which is mountedthe upholstered cushion '01 conventionalconstruction. The s'eatwhich is engaged upon the spider 'fas will" laterappear, is

' wider than the overall "width of [the spider and chair as taken on theme s- -s of Fi .1; t

Fig.4 is a front to rear verticalsectlonal-view is deeper from front torear thalhthe overall depth of the spider. In each-platemember I5,

i alongitudinal slo'tll through which a bolt 12, carried by the seatbottom, extends to receive a wingnut23 and associated washer;Byloosening the wingnuts 23, theseat mayjbe shifted forwardly and'rearwardly oithe spiderinto the desired ad'justed position. In thisrespect; it is pointed outthat the spindle u is normally dis posed in aposition closerrtotheflrear" edge of the seat than the frontedgethereof, as best appears in Fig. 2,

In each rear corner of the seatisa recess which best appears inIPig.3'and in eachlateral I margin of the seat bottomisachannel crduct 25which best appearsin Figs. 4 and 5. Therear end of each channel opensinto an associated recess 24 andthe top wall of said recess is'slopeddownwardly andforwardly as appears in'Fig'. a. d The inner wall ofeachchannel is disposed sub n stantially coincident with the outer edgeof each plate member of thespider! At each s de of the seat'is'from'front torear of the seat and is thereprovided with ahorizontallydisposed base 23" that d weenie iipisl post 26 which at'itstopsv end supports an arm rest 21L The bottom end oi each yjpost ,iiares2| in said member as previously mentioned. A-

bolt, 3| is trapped in'each slot 30 so as to be movable longitudinallythereof without a turning therein or a dislodgement therefrom and thethreaded end of each extends through the boss 29 to receive a nut andwasher 32. By loosening the nuts'32, each arm rest may be adjustedforwardly and rearwardly onits plate member andv then locked in theadjusted position.

33 indicates the back rest member for the chair which is normallydisposed between the While in describing the invention, I have referredin detail to the form, arrangement and construction of the variousparts, the same is to be considered only in the illustrative sense sothat I do not wish to be limited'thereto except as may be specificallyset forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: I

l. A chair embodying therein, seat providing means having a recess ineach rear end corner and a channel in its bottom surface along one sidethat opens into an associated recess, supporting means for said seatproviding means, a

rear ends of the arm rests 21-21 in a position a The I tioned, thebackrest is capable of a forward I and rearward swinging movement withrespect totheseat. l This movement of the back rest is limited by a pairof cushion action telescopic braces 36 similar to those disclosed in mypatent previously referred to. As shown in Fig, 4, each bracein'clude'sa tubular body 31 flattened. at one end and there pivotally: connectedto its-associated back rest supporting arm 34 by a bolt an, at a pointbelow the topsurface of the seat member. A bushing 39 is threaded on theother end of the tube and a rod 48 has a. sliding bearing in saidbushing. That end of said rod outsidethe bushing; is formed as'an eye 4|which is pivote ally;connectedlby abolt 42to the front end boss ll ofthe associated plate, member 15 of the spider. 5 i

That portion of the rod within the tube -has a nut 43 threaded, on itsextremity and. a helical expansion spring 44 surrounds that' part of therod-between said nut and the bushing. As best appears in l' ig. 4, eachbrace .-36.is disposed substantially in .a channel 25- in the; seatbottom so i that it is covered from above by that part of the seatabovethe' channel, vWith this arr,angement, only a relativelysmallportionof the rear end of each brace is visible at the associated recess24 of the seat; The front end ofthe brace disposed; above the base 28 ofthe associated arm restsupporting post 26 in a manner. whereby saidfront endof the brace is substantially -con.

. cealed. and protec ztedv in. a position where it is.

back rest as well as betweenthe arm rests and. the seat .or back rest.Thus the chair may be adjusted to the occupant so as to be restful andcomfortable and assures a correct posture in use- This arrangement sodis-' ,back rest having a normal position with respect to said seatproviding means,supporting arms one connected tojeach side of the backrest and each having a bottom endportion disposed in a recess and beingpivotally connected to one of said first mentioned means, and resilientcushioning means for at least one of said arms having a partthereofdisposed in said channel in said one side ofthe seatv providingmeans so as to be covered. from above thereby and operatively connectedat one end'to said one of said arms and also operatively connected atits other endwith one of said first mentioned means.

2. A chair embodying therein, seatproviding means having a recess ineach rear endcorner anda channel in its bottom surface along eachsidethat opens into an associated recess, supporting means for said seatproviding means, a back rest having a normal position with respect tosaid seat providing means, supporting arms one cormected to-each side ofthe back rest and each having a bottom end portion disposed in a re-.cess and being 'pivotally connected to said sup- ,3. 'A chair embodyingtherein, seat providing means, a spider for supporting said seatprovidmg means and having a plate-like portion at each side thereof,means providing a bolt and slot connectio n'between each side of saidseat providing means and said plate-like portions permitting of a.forward orga rearward-adjustment of the seat providing. means on saidseat supporting means, a back rest havinga normal position with respectto said seat providing means, an ,arm rest at each side'of theseatproviding means :and each having a part disposed under said seat providf ing. means and engaged with a plate-like. portion 4. A chair embodyingtherein a spindle, a spider having a hub fixed to the spindle and a pairof laterally spaced plate members connected to the hub by arms extendingaway-therefrorma seat engaged on the spider, said platemembers and saidseat having a bolt andslot connection whereby said seat may be adjustedforwardly and rearwardly thereon, a back rest, meansincluding side armsfor. supportingsaid' back rest from said spider, an arm rest at eachside ofthe seat, a generally upright postforsupporting each arm rest;each post including a laterallyinward ex-' tension engaged-;,with anassociated plate member of the spider, and means for operativelyconnecting each post extension with the associated plate member, wherebysaid arm rests may be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly on said platemembers of the spider.

5. A chair embodying therein a spindle, a spider nel along the bottom oreach side of the seat and opening into a associated recess, back restsupporting arms for the back rest and each having a part disposed in anassociated recess and there having a pivotal connection with anassociated plate member of the spider, an armrest at each side of theseat, an upright post supporting each arm rest having a laterallyinward, extension overlapping and engaged upon an associated platemember, a cushioning element for each arm and pivotally connected at oneend thereto, the other end of each element being pivotally connected toan associated plate member of the spider and disposed above theassociated post extension and engaged at least in part in a channel inthe associated side of the seat.

6. A chair embodying therein a seat having a channel that opens throughits bottom surface along each side thereof, supporting means for theseat, a back rest having a normal position with respect to the seat, asupporting arm for each side of the back rest and having a pivotalconnection with said supporting means, a cushioning device for eachsupporting arm and having the greater part of its length arranged in anassociated recess, with its ends disposed outside of the ends thereof,one end of each device being operatively connected to an associatedsupporting arm and the other end of each device being,

operatively connected to said supporting means.

D. WOOD.

